KENTUCKY’S BERNHEIM FOREST: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Would you believe the largest privately held forest block in the Eastern United States is located within Kentucky, hiding in plain sight? Nestled amongst bourbon distilleries and rapidly expanding warehouses, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest protects an area larger than the island of Manhattan, hosts over 2,100 species, and is currently threatened by a looming gas pipeline.

Frequently referred to as a flyover state, Kentucky isn’t first in many’s thoughts when they think of the environment. Yet with more than tens of thousands of acres of land lost to development each year in Kentucky, Bernheim Forest conserves over 16,000 acres of land, creates 780 million pounds of oxygen annually, captures 22 billion gallons of water yearly, and as a result, provides clean air, water, and scenic beauty to the region all while directly combating climate change.

Declaring eminent domain, Louisville Gas and Electric is fighting to place a habitat-destroying gas pipeline through Bernheim’s Cedar Grove wildlife corridor, which hosts globally imperiled Bluff Vertigo snails, critically endangered bats, and more.

An issue much larger than Bernheim Forest, LG&E’s battle may set a dangerous precedent for the future protection of conservation easements and deed restrictions on private natural lands, not to mention long-lasting negative impacts on the environment.

Growing up near Louisville, Kentucky, I never had the pleasure of visiting Bernheim Forest. After a lifetime away in New York, I reconnected with my ol’ Kentucky home in 2022, as Bernheim Forest’s first-ever environmental artist in residence. Through my photographic work documenting Bernheim’s least accessible natural spaces, I share the surprising biodiversity, hidden gems, and environmental importance of Bernheim Forest.

With photographs taken during multiple visits over the past year, I aim to show why a large forest block in an often overlooked area of the United States deserves our collective attention, and what is at stake when a forest is under threat.

🗞️ As of February 2023, photographs from this piece have appeared in The Guardian, Feature Shoot and Sierra Magazine.

Please note the images on this page are selected previews. If interested in publication, a wide edit of images is available upon request. Please email inquiries to carla@carlarhodes.com.

Wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests.

The Wilson Creek stream restoration project recreated important wetland habitat that had been lost for 100 years. As a result, North American Beavers (above) have moved in and the restoration attracted a surprise visitor in 2022: an American Bittern (below), with the last visit recorded decades prior.

Cedar Grove

Bluff Vertigos

Researcher and snailer Lori Schroeder discovered globally imperiled bluff vertigo snails within Cedar Grove. Found only 30 places in the world and measuring less than 2mm, the Bluff Vertigo’s vuggy limestone habitat (pictured below with a Virginia opossum) lies directly in the proposed pipeline route.

Development From Above

Rapid industrial development surrounds Bernheim’s 16,137 acres of land (some of which is pictured at the top of this photo). From the view above, the stakes seem higher than ever to fight the pipeline and protect conservation lands. The pipeline is estimated to put 71 stream crossings, 6,271 linear feet of stream, and several springs and wetlands at risk of being destroyed or damaged during construction.

Hidden Gems

(Above) Dolomite glades occur only within a small area of Kentucky, some of which are found within Bernheim. Threatened Great Plains Ladies' Tresses are pictured growing on a glade.
(Right) Volunteer naturalist Joe Cichan discovered an isolated four-toed salamander population at Bernheim, whose eggs are pictured.